What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy and How Does It Work?

Introduction: A Gentle Look Inside

Have you ever felt like one part of you wants something, while another part feels completely opposite? Maybe part of you wants to rest, but another part pushes you to keep working. This is where Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy can be transformative—it helps you explore these inner conflicts with compassion and clarity.

What Is Internal Family Systems Therapy?

IFS is a psychotherapy model created by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s. It views the mind as made up of many sub-personalities, or “parts,” each with their own thoughts, feelings, and roles. At the core of IFS is the belief that every person has a calm, wise, and compassionate Self that can lead the inner system toward balance and healing.

Understanding the Parts

• Managers: The protectors that try to keep you safe by controlling situations.

• Firefighters: The parts that react quickly to stop overwhelming feelings (sometimes through numbing behaviors).

• Exiles: The deeply vulnerable parts that hold pain, trauma, and difficult emotions.

These parts aren’t “bad.” They developed as strategies to protect you. In IFS, the goal isn’t to get rid of parts—it’s to listen to them, understand their role, and bring healing so they no longer have to carry such heavy burdens.

How IFS Works in Therapy

In a session, you might be guided to:

• Notice what parts of you are present in the moment.

• Build curiosity and compassion for those parts.

• Develop a stronger connection to your Self, the inner leader who can bring calm and healing.

• Help parts release the extreme roles they’ve been forced into.

What IFS Can Help With

• Trauma and PTSD

• Anxiety and depression

• Relationship struggles

• Low self-esteem and shame

• Life transitions and stress

• Self-sabotage or perfectionism

The Power of Self-Leadership

When parts no longer feel stuck in extreme roles, your inner system becomes more balanced. You can live from a place of self-leadership—where your calm, compassionate Self takes the lead.

Closing Thoughts

IFS offers more than symptom relief—it helps you build a lifelong relationship with yourself. By learning to listen to and care for your parts, you open the door to profound healing.

Call to Action:
If you’re curious about how IFS can support your healing, I’d love to connect. You can learn more and schedule an intake here.